Hunting stand accessory device

ABSTRACT

An accessory shelf device mountable on the safety rail assembly of a hunting and observation stand. The accessory shelf device is expandable along its length to adjust to differently sized safety rail assemblies. The accessory shelf device may include a pivotal mount for attachment to the safety rail assembly allowing the device to be selectively rotated out of the area within the safety rail assembly. The accessory shelf device of the present invention may also include an adjustable gun rest assembly. The accessory shelf device of the present invention is also scalable so that two accessory shelf devices can be quickly and easily combined into a side-by-side configuration for use with larger hunting and observation stands that feature two or more seats.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to hunting and observationstands and more particularly pertains to an accessory shelf used inconjunction with hunting and observation stands. The disclosed accessoryshelf may further include an adjustable gun rest incorporated therein.

2. Description of the Related Art

The use of hunting and observation stands is known in the prior art.Hunting and observation stands are typically utilized as elevatedhunting platforms by deer hunters and other sportsmen when hunting largegame such as deer or elk. Hunting from an elevated hunting orobservation stand provides the sportsman with numerous advantages, suchas the ability to observe an unobstructed view of a larger area,increasing the hunter's chance for success. In addition, the chance of ahunter being sighted or scented by an animal is greatly reduced.Further, and perhaps more important, the hunter is removed from the lineof fire of other ground-based hunters and by firing at a downward angle,any bullets which miss or pass through their target are directed intothe ground. Accordingly, a hunter in an elevated hunting and observationstand is typically safer and more successful than a ground-based hunter.

A variety of proposals have previously been made in the art of huntingand observation stands. More specifically, hunting and observationstands previously devised and utilized are known to consist basically offamiliar, expected and obvious structural configurations,notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded priorart which have been developed for the fulfillment of numerous objectivesand requirements.

Known prior art hunting and observation stands include U.S. Pat. No.5,927,435; U.S. Des. No. 452,331; U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,993; U.S. Pat. No.5,009,283; U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,248; U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,611; U.S. Pat.No. 5,282,520; U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,398 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,490.

Hunting and observation stands typically include a base supportstructure, which elevates and supports a horizontal platform onto whichthe hunter may sit or stand. The base support structure may be afree-standing frame assembly or a frame structure designed for use inconjunction with a tree. The base support structure typically includes aladder which assists the user in climbing up the base support structureto the elevated platform. A seat or bench may also be mounted orattached to the platform enabling the user to sit in a more comfortableposition. In addition, many new designs incorporate a safety rail toprevent accidental falls from the platform. Safety rail assemblies aretypically secured to, and extend upward from, the platform. For example,U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,435 includes a safety rail assembly 32 comprising avertical rail 33 extending upward from each corner of the platform, andhorizontal rails 34 extending between the rails 33. The rails 33, 34 arepreferably lightweight angle or tubular members.

Hunting and observation stands are usually designed as lightweight,temporary or semi-permanent structures, allowing them to be easilycarried long distances and assembled with minimal effort and tools. Dueto size and weight constraints, the platforms are typically small andspace is at a premium. While an elevated seat attached to the platformallows a user to utilize the remaining platform area to storemiscellaneous gear and equipment, oftentimes it is hard or inconvenientto access and susceptible to being accidentally knocked off theplatform. This is especially so during periods of reduced visibilitysuch as at night or twilight. While some equipment, such as cameras,binoculars and range finders, can be worn around the neck or attached toa hunter's apparel, such a solution often proves inconvenient at bestand hazardous at worst. In particular, when the hunter attempts toshoulder his rifle to take a shot he must first reposition his accessoryequipment on his body so that it does not interfere with the rifle.

Moreover, current hunting and observation stands provide no support forthe hunter when taking a shot. Hunters must shoot from a sitting orstanding position with little or no stabilizing support. When shootingat a target at a long range, slight movements of the gun barreltranslate into large deviations from the target. Hence, accuracy andprecision of gun barrel movement becomes critical to providing skillfullong range shooting. Thus, with current hunting and observation standsthe effective range of most firearms is greatly reduced.

While the previously mentioned safety rail assemblies are adequate forpreventing a hunter from falling off the platform, they are typicallyset too low and positioned too far away from the hunter to provide anyadequate shooting support. Moreover, safety rail assemblies aretypically fixed to the platform and allow no adjustment.

Thus, a need exists for a device which safely provides improvedaccessibility of accessory equipment to users of current hunting andobservation stands. Further, a need exists for a device which providesimproved stability and support to the hunter when taking a shot fromcurrent hunting and observation stands.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes many of the disadvantages of prior arthunting and observation stands by providing an accessory shelf devicethat mounts on the safety rail assembly. The accessory shelf device isexpandable along its length to adjust to differently sized safety railassemblies. The accessory shelf device may also be pivotally attached tothe safety rail assembly allowing the device to be selectively rotatedout of the area within the safety rail assembly. The pivotal mount mayfurther include an adjustment mechanism, which allows the position ofthe accessory shelf device to be adjusted along the lateral rails of thesafety rail assembly while remaining attached to the safety railassembly.

In one embodiment, the accessory shelf device comprises a center shelfassembly having two slidably coupled wing assemblies extending fromopposing ends of the center shelf assembly. The accessory shelf devicefurther includes means for fixably coupling each of the wing assembliesto the center shelf assembly. In one embodiment, the coupling means aresimply bolts extending through corresponding holes formed in the wingassemblies and the center shelf assembly. In a preferred embodiments thecoupling means may include adjustable screw mount mechanisms.

The accessory shelf device may also include hooks for hanging accessoryequipment on. The accessory shelf device may further include a movablepad for supporting a user's elbow. The pad is designed to be slidablycaptured within the center shelf assembly allowing the position of thepad to be adjusted laterally along the length of the center shelfassembly.

The accessory shelf device of the present invention may further includean adjustable gun rest assembly. In one embodiment, the gun restassembly includes a horizontal member extending between two verticalmembers disposed on opposing ends of the horizontal member. Thehorizontal member may be encased in a pad or cushion constructed offlexible, resilient materials such as high-density foam-rubber. Each ofthe vertical members is captured with coupling mechanisms attached tothe accessory shelf device so that the elevation of the horizontalmember relative to the accessory device may be selectively adjusted. Asbefore, the coupling mechanisms may comprise simply bolts extendingthrough corresponding holes formed in the center shelf assembly and thevertical members of the gun rest assembly or adjustable screw mountmechanisms.

The accessory shelf device of the present invention is also scalable sothat two accessory shelf devices can be quickly and easily combined intoa side-by-side configuration for use with larger hunting and observationstands that feature two or more seats.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the method and apparatus of the presentinvention may be had by reference to the following detailed descriptionwhen taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the accessory shelf device of thepresent invention attached to a typical safety rail system of a platformof a current hunting and observation stand;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the accessory shelf device of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a close-up perspective view of a pivotal mount and adjustmentmechanism of the accessory shelf device of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the adjustable mounting mechanism ofthe accessory shelf device of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is perspective view of two accessory shelf devices of the presentinvention mounted side by side in a two-seat embodiment of a currenthunting and observation stand.

Where used in the various figures of the drawing, the same numeralsdesignate the same or similar parts. Furthermore, when the terms “top,”“bottom,” “first,” “second,” “upper,” “lower,” “height,” “width,”“length,” “end,” “side,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” and similar terms areused herein, it should be understood that these terms have referenceonly to the structure shown in the drawing and are utilized only tofacilitate describing the invention.

All figures are drawn for ease of explanation of the basic teachings ofthe present invention only; the extensions of the figures with respectto number, position, relationship, and dimensions of the parts to formthe preferred embodiment will be explained or will be within the skillof the art after the following teachings of the present invention havebeen read and understood. Further, the exact dimensions and dimensionalproportions to conform to specific force, weight, strength, and similarrequirements will likewise be within the skill of the art after thefollowing teachings of the present invention have been read andunderstood.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIG. 1, an embodiment of the accessory shelf device 10is shown mounted on the safety rail system of a typical hunting andobservation stand. The hunting and observation stand includes a basesupport structure (not shown), which elevates and supports a horizontalplatform 2 onto which the hunter may sit or stand. As depicted in FIG.1, the hunting and observation stand further includes an elevated seator bench 4 mounted to the platform 2, which enables the user to sit in amore comfortable position. The hunting and observation stand alsoincludes a safety rail assembly comprised of vertical rails 6 extendingupward from near each corner of the platform 2, and a horizontal rail 7extending between the vertical rails 6.

The accessory shelf device 10 comprises a center assembly 20 having twoslidably coupled wing assemblies 30, 40 extending from opposing ends ofthe center assembly 20. Thus, the accessory shelf device 10 isexpandable along its length for adjustment to differently sized safetyrail assemblies. The horizontal rail 7 is typically dimensioned so thatit circumscribes the outer perimeter of the horizontal platform 2. Thefirst 30 and second 40 wing assemblies are of sufficient length so thatwhen extended from the opposing ends of the center assembly 20 they aremountable to opposing lateral sides 8, 9 of the horizontal rail 7 of thesafety rail assembly.

In a preferred embodiment, the accessory shelf device 10 is pivotallyattached to one of the opposing lateral sides 8, 9 of the horizontalrail 7 of the safety rail assembly allowing the device 10 to beselectively rotated out of the area within the safety rail assembly. Thepivotal mount 50 may further include an adjustment mechanism, whichallows the position of the accessory shelf device 10 to be adjustedlongitudinally along the length of lateral sides 8, 9 of the horizontalrail 7 while remaining attached to the safety rail assembly.

The accessory shelf device 10 may also include hooks 21 for hangingaccessory equipment on. The accessory shelf device 10 may furtherinclude a movable pad 29 for supporting a user's elbow. The pad 29 isdesigned to be slidably captured within the center assembly 20 allowingthe position of the pad 29 to be adjusted laterally along the length ofthe center assembly 20.

The accessory shelf device 10 may further include an adjustable gun restassembly 60. In one embodiment, the gun rest assembly 60 includes ahorizontal member 62 extending between two vertical members 64 disposedon opposing ends of the horizontal member 62. As depicted in theFigures, the horizontal member 62 is encased in a pad or cushion 66constructed of flexible, resilient materials such as high-densityfoam-rubber. Each of the vertical members 64 is captured within couplingmount 68 attached to the accessory shelf device 10 so that the elevationof the horizontal member 62 relative to the center assembly 20 may beselectively adjusted.

With reference now to FIG. 2, an exploded view of one embodiment of theaccessory shelf device 10 is depicted. The accessory shelf device 10includes a center assembly 20 comprised of two tubular members 22 a, 22b arranged substantially parallel to one another and joined at theirrespective, corresponding ends by two lateral cross members 23. Thecenter assembly 20 further includes a bottom member 24 attached to theunderside of the center assembly 20. The two tubular members 22 a, 22 binclude openings on each of their opposing ends for receiving the prongsof the U-shaped wing assemblies. Thus, as depicted in FIG. 2, the leftor first wing assembly 30 is comprised of two prong members 32 a, 32 bjoined at one end by a lateral cross piece 33. Likewise, the right orsecond wing assembly 40 is comprised of two prong members 42 a, 42 bjoined at one end by a lateral cross piece 43. The cross-section of theprongs is dimensioned so as to correspond with the inner cross-crosssection of the openings on the tubular members 22 a, 22 b of the centerassembly 20. Thus, the wing assemblies 30, 40 are slidably coupled withthe center assembly 20 by inserting the prongs in the correspondingopenings in the ends of the tubular members 22 a, 22 b.

The prongs of the first 30 and second 40 wing assemblies are ofsufficient length so that when extended from the opposing ends of thecenter assembly 20 they are mountable to opposing lateral sides 8, 9 ofthe horizontal rail 7 of the safety rail assembly. By slidably adjustingthe position of the prongs captured within the tubular members 22 a, 22b the length of the accessory shelf device 10 may be expanded andcontracted as necessary to fit across differently sized safety railassemblies.

It is further observed that the wing assemblies 30, 40 may beinterchangeable with one another. Thus, as depicted in FIG. 2, the leftor first wing assembly 30 could be inserted on the right side of thecenter assembly 20 and the right or second wing assembly 40 could beinserted on the left side of the center assembly 20.

The accessory shelf device 10 further comprises coupling mechanisms forfixably coupling each of the wing assemblies 30, 40 in the centerassembly 20. In one embodiment, the coupling mechanisms comprise a bolt2 extending through a hole 28 formed in the center assembly 20 andcorresponding hole 41 formed in the respective wing assembly. Asdepicted in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, each prong may include aseries of holes 41 spaced along its length so as to permit incrementaladjustment of the position of wing assembly within the center assembly20.

In another embodiment, the coupling mechanisms may comprise adjustablequick-release screw mechanisms. With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, thescrew mechanisms each comprise a housing 25 attached to a tubularmembers 22 of the center assembly 20. The housing 25 further comprises afemale bolt 25 a fixably attached to the housing 25. By rotating malescrew 26 through the bolt 25 a compressive force is applied to thecorresponding wing assembly prong through a hole formed in the tubularmember 22. In an alternate variant of this embodiment, a correspondinghole may be formed in the wing assembly prong to receive the threadedend of the male screw 26.

The accessory shelf device 10 may further comprise pivotal mounts 50 forpivotally attaching the device 10 to a lateral side of the safety railassembly. For example, as shown in the Figures and in particular FIG. 3,the pivotal mounts 50 each comprise a hinge mechanism 52 having one endattached to the U-shaped end of a wing assembly 40 and the other endattached to the lateral side 8 of the horizontal rail 7 of the safetyrail assembly. The hinge mechanism 52 is attached to the lateral side 8of the horizontal rail 7 by means of U-bolt 54 extending throughcorresponding holes in the hinge mechanism 52 and a pressure plate 56positioned on the opposing underside of the horizontal rail 7 of thesafety rail assembly. Nuts 57 rotatively coupled to the U-bolt 54 applycompressive force when tightened to the pressure plate 56 effectivelycapturing the horizontal rail 7 between the pressure plate 56 and thehinge mechanism 52.

It will be further observed that the embodiment of the pivotal mount 50just described also includes an adjustment mechanism, which allows theposition of the accessory shelf device 10 to be adjusted longitudinallyalong the length of lateral rails 8, 9 while remaining attached to thesafety rail assembly. The nuts 57 may be loosened so as to relievecompressive force of the pressure plate 56 and hinge mechanism 52 on thehorizontal rail 7 thereby permitting the accessory shelf device 10 slidealong the length of lateral rails 8, 9 while remaining attached to thesafety rail assembly.

The accessory shelf device 10 may further include a movable pad 29 forsupporting a user's elbow. The pad 29 is designed to be slidablycaptured within the center assembly 20 allowing the position of the pad29 to be adjusted laterally along the length of the center assembly 20.In a preferred embodiment, the pad 29 is dimensioned so as to be snuglycaptured between the tubular members 22 a, 22 b and resting on theplanar surface defined by the bottom member 24. The pad 29 isconstructed of flexible, resilient materials such as high-densityfoam-rubber so as to provide cushion and stability to the user's elbow.

The accessory shelf device 10 may also include an adjustable gun restassembly 60. In one embodiment, the gun rest assembly 60 includes ahorizontal member 62 extending between two vertical members 64 disposedon opposing ends of the horizontal member 62. As depicted in theFigures, the horizontal member 62 is encased in a pad or cushion 66constructed of flexible, resilient materials such as high-densityfoam-rubber. Each of the vertical members 64 is captured within acoupling mount 68 attached to the accessory shelf device 10 so that theelevation of the horizontal member 62 relative to the center assembly 20may be selectively adjusted. In a preferred embodiment, the couplingmount 68 comprises an adjustable quick-release screw mechanisms aspreviously described. It is further understood that the gun restassembly 60 depicted in the Figures is suitable for attachment to thesafety rail assembly independent of the accessory shelf device disclosedin the Figures. For example, the gun rest assembly 60 may be detachablymounted to a rigid cross bar support member, i.e., a center assembly 20having a width sufficient to span the opposing lateral sides of thesafety rail system. In one embodiment, the both ends of the rigid crossbar support member are secured to opposing lateral sides of the safetyrail system. In another embodiment, one end of the rigid cross barsupport member includes a pivotal mount for pivotally attaching saidrigid cross bar support member to the safety rail system.

The accessory shelf device 10 of the present invention may beconstructed of any strong and resilient material capable of providingsufficient rigidity, strength and durability for its intended purpose.Thus, it is understood that center assembly 20, wing assemblies 30, 40and the adjustable gun rest assembly 60 may be constructed of tubularand/or solid metal, wood, plastic or composite material or anycombination thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the center assembly 20is constructed of 1¼″ square steel tubing with expanded metal comprisingthe bottom member 24, while the wing assemblies 30, 40 are constructedof 1″ square steel tubing.

The accessory shelf device of the present invention is also scalable sothat two accessory shelf devices can be quickly and easily combined intoa side-by-side configuration for use with larger hunting and observationstands that feature two or more seats. For example, as shown in FIG. 5,two accessory shelf devices 110A, 110B are joined in a side-by-sideconfiguration. While the hunting and observation stand depicted in FIG.5 is of a larger dimension, its basic components are essentially thesame as previously discussed. Thus, the hunting and observation standshown in FIG. 5 includes a base support structure (not shown), whichelevates and supports a horizontal platform 102 onto which two huntermay sit or stand. As depicted in FIG. 5, the hunting and observationstand further includes two elevated seats or benches 104 a, 104 bmounted to the platform 102, which enable the users to sit in a morecomfortable position. The hunting and observation stand also includes asafety rail assembly comprised of vertical rails 106 extending upwardfrom near each corner of the platform 102, and a horizontal rail 107extending between the vertical rails 106. By removing the right wingassembly from a first accessory shelf device 110A, and the left wingassembly from a second accessory shelf device 110B a spanner bar 170 maybe inserted into the corresponding openings of the center assemblies 120a, 120 b thereby joining the two accessory shelf devices 110A, 110B in aside-by-side configuration.

As previously noted in the single embodiment, the two accessory shelfdevices 110A, 110B are expandable along their length for adjustment todifferently sized safety rail assemblies. The horizontal rail 107 istypically dimensioned so that it circumscribes the outer perimeter ofthe horizontal platform 102. Each of the accessory shelf devices 110A,110B is expandable utilizing the remaining wing assembly so as to bemountable to opposing lateral sides 108, 109 of the horizontal rail 107of the safety rail assembly.

In addition, one of the accessory shelf devices may be pivotallyattached to an opposing lateral sides 108, 109 of the horizontal rail107 of the safety rail assembly allowing the combined assembly beselectively rotated out of the area within the safety rail assembly. Thepivotal mount 150 may further include an adjustment mechanism aspreviously described, which allows the position of the combinedaccessory shelf assembly to be adjusted longitudinally along the lengthof lateral sides 108, 109 of the horizontal rail 109 while remainingattached to the safety rail assembly.

Thus, in the combined accessory shelf assembly depicted in FIG. 5, eachhunter is safely seated in a position that is unobstructed by the otherhunter. Moreover, the separate adjustable gun rest assemblies 160 a, 160b permit each hunter to custom fit their shooting position to his or herindividual physical requirements without interfering with the physicalrequirements of the other hunter.

The description of the present invention has been presented for purposesof illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention, the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

It will now be evident to those skilled in the art that there has beendescribed herein an accessory shelf device that greatly improves theutility and safety of current hunting and observation stands.

Although the invention hereof has been described by way of a preferredembodiment, it will be evident that other adaptations and modificationscan be employed without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Forexample, the square tubing depicted in the Figures could, in analternative embodiment, comprise round tubing. The terms and expressionsemployed herein have been used as terms of description and not oflimitation; and thus, there is no intent of excluding equivalents, buton the contrary it is intended to cover any and all equivalents that maybe employed without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

1. An accessory shelf device for a hunting or observation stand having asafety rail assembly, said device comprising: a center assembly; firstand second wing assemblies slidably coupled to said center assembly andextending from opposing ends of said center assembly; wherein, saidfirst and second wing assemblies are of sufficient length so that whenextended from said center assembly they are mountable to opposinglateral sides of said safety rail assembly.
 2. The device of claim 1,wherein each of said wing assemblies comprises a prong member slidablycoupled to said center assembly.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein saidcenter assembly comprises a first and second tubular members arranged ina substantially parallel configuration and joined at their respectivecorresponding ends by lateral cross members, wherein said tubularmembers are dimensioned to slidably couple with said prong member ofsaid wing assemblies.
 4. The device of claim 2, wherein said centerassembly comprises a bottom member defining a planar surface betweensaid tubular members.
 5. The device of claim 2 further comprising a paddemountably attached to said center assembly and slidably capturedbetween said tubular members.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein one ofsaid wing assemblies further comprises a pivotal mount for attachment tothe safety rail assembly.
 7. The device of claim 6, wherein said pivotalmount includes a hinge element having one end fixably attached to saidone of said wing assemblies and an opposing end demountably attached tosaid safety rail assembly, said opposing end including two holes forreceiving a U-bolt, which captures a portion of said safety railassembly between said opposing end and a pressure plate.
 8. The deviceof claim 1 further comprising a coupling mechanism for selectivelysecuring one of said wing assemblies to said center assembly.
 9. Thedevice of claim 8 wherein said coupling mechanism comprises a boltextending through a hole formed in the center assembly and acorresponding hole formed in a prong of said wing assembly.
 10. Thedevice of claim 8 wherein said coupling mechanism comprises a screwmechanism attached to said center assembly and capable of applying acompressive force to a prong of said wing assembly.
 11. The device ofclaim 1 further comprising a gun rest assembly, said gun rest assemblyincluding a horizontal member extending between two vertical members,wherein each of said vertical members is captured within a couplingmount attached to said device.
 12. The device of claim 11 wherein saidcoupling mount includes an adjustable quick-release screw mechanism. 13.The device of claim 10, wherein said horizontal member of said gun restassembly is encased in a pad.
 14. An apparatus for a hunting orobservation stand having a safety rail assembly, said apparatuscomprising: a first accessory shelf device comprised of a first centerassembly and a first wing assembly slidably coupled to said first centerassembly and extending from an end of said first center assembly; asecond accessory shelf device comprised of a second center assembly anda second wing assembly slidably coupled to said first center assemblyand extending from an end of said second center assembly; and a spannerbar slidably coupled to said first and second center assemblies; whereinsaid first and second accessory shelf devices are of sufficient lengthso that when couple with said spanner bar they are mountable to opposinglateral sides of said safety rail assembly.
 15. The device of claim 14,wherein each of said accessory shelf devices further includes a gun restassembly demountably attached to said respective center assembly, saidgun rest assemblies each comprising a horizontal member extendingbetween two vertical members, wherein each of said vertical members iscaptured within a coupling mount attached to said respective centerassembly.
 16. The device of claim 15 wherein said coupling mountincludes an adjustable quick-release screw mechanism.
 17. The device ofclaim 14, wherein one of said wing assemblies further comprises apivotal mount for attachment to the safety rail assembly.
 18. A gun restassembly for a hunting or observation stand having a safety railassembly, said apparatus comprising: a cross bar support member attachedto opposing lateral sides of said safety rail assembly, and a horizontalmember extending between two vertical members; wherein each of saidvertical members is captured within a coupling mount attached to saidcross bar support member.
 19. The gun rest assembly of claim 18 whereinsaid coupling mount includes an adjustable quick-release screwmechanism.
 20. The gun rest assembly of claim 18, wherein said cross barsupport member further comprises a pivotal mount for attachment to thesafety rail assembly.